Adjustable shoe heel part



9, 1949- A. DESCHENES ETAL 2,478,810

Filed July 10, 1945 w F Z5 Z 41 fly. 7 #71 298 Fig.9 W0

3 354555 I] 1 INVENT% {3 TORNEY Patented Aug. 9, 1949 ADJUSTABLE SHOE HEEL PART Alfred Deschenes and Edward G. Deschenes, Lowell, Mass.

ApplicationJuly 10, 1945, Serial No. 604,232

.6 Claims.

This invention relates to the heels of shoes such as are worn on people's feet and its general purpose is to provide a part of the heel which when worn down can readily be changed'or moved by the wearer without tools so as to prevent a new wearing part to that part of the back of the heel which wears most rapidly.

One purpose is to provide a wearing member which can instantly be removed, turned and replaced by the wearer and which preferably can be locked from turning but which by a slight change can be permitted to turn while the wearer is walking. Another purpose is to provide such a member which can be replaced instantaneously by the owner of the shoe with a Similar but new or unworn member when the first member has worn so much that it is no longer useful.

We accomplish our purposes by providing a disk shaped wearing member which may be made of rubber, plastic,.wood, leather or of any other suitable material located in a recess in the outer or top lift which member is easily removeable and which may be turnable or revoluble, and we preferably provide means to lock or hold it in any one of many positions.

The advantages of our device are that a new outer face and edge of that part of the heel where the Wear comes can be presented so that they are kept true and fiat and with a sharp edge. This is done by a disk which can turn, be turned, crawl or be fixed in different positions and in every case can easily be replaced.

For different types of shoes, we may provide a metal bearing plate with a locking pin while in other types of shoes, we may omit both and make the disk shaped wearing member of some material such as cork, artificial or specially treated wood, rubber, plastic or some other material, which will not readily turn, but in every case we use a spring snap fastener of two members, male and female, or their equivalent, which will hold the disk shaped wearing member to the shoe heel but will permit it to be removed and turned.

The whole outer or top lift can be such a wearing disk member with no recess of any kind.

The disk can be made of many different materials so that expensive stock is saved and it may be made of two or more layers, or laminated, or different segments of it can be of different materials.

Further advantages of our adjustable, turnable and removable wearing disk member are that by turning the wearing disk to present a new wearing rim or edge, the shoe and foot are kept level and therefore the shoe retains its fit at the heel and requires less repairs, not only on the heel lifts but also on the upper and counter, because the wear usually comes on the outside and this allows or causes the heel of the foot of the wearer to press against the side of the upper back part or the shoe and this causes that side of the upper and of the counter either to be stretched, thus making a poor fit, or even rips out the stitching which must be replaced.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the back of a shoe of my construction.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the bottom of the shoe of my construction.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the inside of the wearing disk.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the inside of a shoe with the wearing disk-removed from the cut out part.

Fi 5 is a section as on the line 55 of Fig. 2, the relative size'of the parts being difierent from Fig. 2. I

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional detail View of a snap fastener showing one method of attaching its two members in a construction where there is a bearing member. 4

Fig.7 is an enlarged sectional detail view of one of the adjustable pin members and of a pin recess- Fig. 8 is a similar View of a non-adjustable pin member.

Fig. 9 is another sectional detail view similar to Fig. 6 of a construction wherein there is no bearing member.

Fig. 10 is an isometric View of the bottom back part of a shoe wherein the top lift is composed entirely of a wearing disk.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged sectional view as on the line lI-ll of Fig. 4.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 5 of a modified form of wearing member.

Fig. 13 is a bottom plan view similar to Fig. 2,.

showing another modified form of the wearing member.

In the drawings, S represents a shoe with an upper U, an outer sole 0 which extends at D as part of the heel. As shown, there are intermediate lifts F and G although, in some cases,

there might be no intermediate lift or there 3 part II of the heel so as to make a complete circle.

The distorted crescent shaped part 9 remaining of lift B and the lifts F and G are attached to th heel part D of the outer sole in any usual way as by nails I2 and in the recess I is a metal disk shaped bearing member C which, as shown, is fastened in place by nails or rivets 2.

A is a disk shaped wearing member, which may be made of rubber, or of other material, which fits into the recess I and is of such a contour as to be an extension of back II of the heel whatever part of its curved edge registers with the back I I.

The bearing member C serves as a bearing for the wearing member A but also, if made of metal or other relatively stiff material, helps to keep the other lifts from swelling as they sometimes do when wet. At its center on its inner face of the wearing member is one member 3 of a spring snap fastener L of a well known type including the parts 3 and I 3 and around this inner face 5 are a plurality of pin recesses 4, 4, concentrically arranged near its outer curved edge 6.

Positioned at the center of recess I and projecting from lift G and through and from bearing disk C is the other member I3 of the snap fastener L. Members 3 and I3 are of any well known spring type of such a character that wearing member A can be instantaneously removed or replaced at will by use of only the hands. We prefer to provide a locking pin member P which goes through bearing disk C into the body of the heel in a position to engage any one of the pin recesses 4, 4, on the inside face 5 of wearing member A.

. By the provision of such a locking pin- P, the wearing member A can be prevented from turning and can be held in any one of a number of adjusted positions but if it is desired that the wearing member A should be revoluble, such a pin member can be removed or pushed in out of sight.

In Fig. 7, we show a pin member in the form of a screw in a recess M and with a head 42 which will fit into that recess 4| thus providing a smooth outer face, or the screw can be screwed out so that the head 42 will enter a recess such as 4, as described.

Instead of a screw as shown in Fig. 8, we may use an ordinary nail with a head 46 to engage a recess 4 and such nail, if not wanted, can easily be pulled out or the head can be driven in and buried.

As shown in Fig. 9, we may entirely omit the bearing disk C and can make the outside or top lift G and the wearing member A of composi-' tions between which there is enough friction so that the use of a locking pin such as P of the type shown at 40 or 45 in Figs. 7 and 8 or any other locking pin can be entirely omitted.

The bearing disk itself might be made of some metal between which and the wearing member A there will be enough friction to prevent member A from turning.

In many cases however, there is no objection to the wearing member A turning either freely or only after considerable pressure is applied, the main idea being the use of a snap fastener L at the center between the wearing member and the outside of top lift G.

As shown in Fig. 10, wearing member A may cover the entire surface of a heel and be of disk shape, there being no cut out part whatever.

The main idea of our device is a snap on and snap off construction whereby the wearing member can instantly be removed or replaced by hand in such a way that a worn part can be positioned in a different location, or it may be so made that the whole wearing member can turn with greater or less freedom.

For some purposes and in some occupations and with some materials, it may be better to allow the disk shaped wearing member to crawl thus gradually presenting new and fresh faces to wear and in other cases as shown in Fig. 11, instead of one locking pin such as P, there may be two locking pins such as and 5|.

As shown in Fig, 12, a wearing disk may have wearing layer such as 53 which might be, for instance, of rubber and an inside layer 54 which might be of fiber, wood or other inexpensive material as a holding layer.

As shown in Fig. 13, the wearing face 55 of a Wearing member might have one segment like 56 made of some composition in which sand or emery was embodied and which can be turned, on a slippery day, to that part of the heel which is most likely to slip, as shown by the full lines while at other times, it could be turned back out of the way while another segment 51 made of some material which would not injure polished floors could be turned to the place of contact therewith.

The metal bearing disk member can be omitted. The pin or pins can be non-adjustable; one or several pins and pin recesses can be used or there may be no pin recesses and no pin or pins,

We claim:

1 in a shoe, the combination with a heel the back of which is formed as an arc of a circle which are in the outer lift continues as an edge of a cut out forming part of a disk recess in substantial continuation of the circular contour of the arc of the back of the heel; of a rotatable wearing disk shapedwearing member formed with a wearing face layer and a holding layer which fits into the wearin disk recess, its cylindrical edge being formed on the same circle as the edge of the wearing disk recess and including a plurality of pin recesses arranged concentrically with and near the outer edge all positionedon the inner face; a metal disk shaped bearing member fixed to the shoe heel in the disk recess by suitable attaching devices; an adjustable pin member projecting from the heel and from the bearing member in position to engage one of the pin recesses; one member of a snap fastener fixed in the center of the inner face of the wearing disk; and the other member of the snap fastener fixed in the center of the wearing disk recess and extending through the bearin member to engage the first named member carried by the wearing disk.

2. In a shoe, the combination with a heel the back of which is formed as an arc of a circle which are in the outer lift continues as an edge of a cut out forming art of a disk recess in substantial continuation of the circular contour of the arc of the back of the heel; of a rotatable wearing disk shaped wearing member formed on the rim of. its wearing face with segments of different materials which fits into the wearing disk recess; its cylindrical edge being formed on the same circle as the edge of the wearing disk recess andinciuding a pluralit of in recesses arranged concentrically with and near the outer edge all positioned on the inner face; a metal disk shaped bearing member fixed to the shoe heel in the disk recess by suitable attaching devices; an adjustable pin member projecting from the heel and from the bearing member in position to engage one of the pin recesses; one member of a snap fastener fixed in the center of the inner face of the wearing disk; and the other member of the snap fastener fixed in the center of the wearing disk recess and extending through the bearing member to en age the first named member carried by the wearing disk.

3. In a shoe, the combination with a heel the back of which is formed as an arc of a circle which are in the outer lift continues as an edge of a cut out forming part of a disk recess in substantial continuation of the circular contour of the arc of the back of the heel; of a rotatable wearing disk shaped wearing member which fits into the wearing disk recess, its cylindrical edge being formed on the same circle as the edge of the wearing disk recess and including a plurality of pin recesses arranged concentrically with and. near the outer edge all positioned on the inner face; a metal disk shaped bearing member fixed to the shoe heel in the disk recess by suitable attaching devices; an adjustable pin member projecting from the heel and from the bearing member in position to engage one of the pin recesses; one member of a snap fastener fixed in the center of the inner face of the wearing disk; and the other member of the snap fastener fixed in the center of the wearing disk recess and extending through the bearing member to engage the first named member carried by the wearing disk.

4. In a shoe, the combination with a heel the back of which is formed as an arc of a circle which are in the outer lift continues as an edge of a cut out forming part of a disk recess in substantial continuation of the circular contour of the arc of the back of the heel; of a rotatable wearing disk shaped wearing member which fits into the wearing disk recess, its cylindrical edge bein formed on the same circle as the edge of the wearing disk recess and including a plurality of pin recesses arranged concentrically with and near the outer edge all positioned on the inner face; an adjustable pin member projecting from the heel in position to engage one of the pin recesses; one member of a snap fastener fixed in the center of the inner face of the wearing disk; and the other member of the snap fastener fixed in the center of the wearing disk recess to engage the first named member carried by the wearing disk.

5. In a shoe, the combination with a heel the back of which is formed as an arc of a circle which arc in the outer lift continues as an edge of a cut out forming part of a disk recess in substantial continuation of the circular contour near the outer edge all positioned on the inner face; a pin member projecting from the heel in position to engage one of the pin recesses;

one member of a snap fastener fixed in the center of the inner face of the wearing disk; and the other member of the snap fastener fixed in the center of the wearing disk recess to engage thekfirst named member carried by the wearing dis 6. In a shoe, the combination with a heel the back of which is formed as an arc of a circle which are in the outer lift continues as an edge of a cut out forming part of a disk recess in substantial continuation of the circular contour of the arc of the back of the heel; of a manually removable disk shaped wearing member which fits into the disk recess, its cylindrical edge being formed on the same circle as the edge of the disk recess, some portions of its outer face at its curved edge being formed of different materials one of which is non-slipping and including a plurality of pin recesses arranged concentrically with and near the outer edge all positioned on the inner face; a pin member projecting from the heel in position to engage one of the pin recesses; one member of a snap fastener fixed in the center of the inner face of the wearing disk; and the other member of the snap fastener being fixed in the center of the wearing disk recess to engage the first named member carried by the wearing disk, whereby the wearing disk can be removed without the use of tools, turned and locked in any desired position.

ALFRED DESCHENES. EDWARD G. DESCHENES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 166,972 Dunlop Aug. 24, 1875 530,760 Fowler Dec. 11, 1894 722,307 IZan Mar. 10, 1903 1,134,383 Helwitz et al Apr. ,6, 1915 1,535,967 Turner Apr. 28, 1925 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 19,220 Great Britain 1909 28,705 Great Britain 1903 138,399 Great Britain Feb. 12, 1920 481,376 France Sept. 5, 1916 

